The last scene on the blue stone showed the young Ling Xie opening his eyes.
The young Yan Yue, who had always appeared youthful, transformed into the middle-aged man from Nanshan’s memories.
Then, the blue stone flashed with light, and several cracks suddenly appeared, turning into an ordinary stone.
“He said he used half of his cultivation to save me,” Ling Xie slowly spoke, “but I think it should be more than that.”
Nanshan gave him a disapproving look: “Then why did you secretly cultivate?”
Ling Xie looked at her without much emotion.
Nanshan warily took a step back but couldn’t stop herself from speaking, “Well, the immortal uncle worked so hard to save you because he hoped you’d live well. Yet, you’re still secretly cultivating behind his back. Aren’t you afraid of creating another inner demon and making him lose the rest of his cultivation?”
“I won’t create another inner demon,” Ling Xie said firmly.
Nanshan found it hard to believe him, but she didn’t want to argue further, so she muttered a few words and let it go.
Then, the two fell into silence again.
After a long while, seeing that Ling Xie was not going to speak, Nanshan decided to break the silence, “Did you ask me to come here just to tour the Nightless Pavilion?”
Ling Xie replied, “Follow me.”
Nanshan thought to herself, Is he really going to take me to tour the Nightless Pavilion?
Though she didn’t know what Ling Xie’s purpose was, she decided to follow him now that she was here.
Ling Xie led her through several turns, and Nanshan watched in awe as beautiful scenery unfolded before her like a curtain being lifted, revealing new paths and views.
No wonder he said I could wander around freely. He probably knows I can’t get to any important places, Nanshan thought absentmindedly as she followed him. Suddenly, Ling Xie spoke, “We’re here.”
Nanshan snapped back to reality and saw a massive iron door.
“This is…”
“My private collection,” Ling Xie said, looking at her.
“I’m bringing you here today because I want you to choose something.”
“Choose something?” Nanshan’s heart skipped a beat.
“You want to give me a gift?”
“Yes.”
Nanshan’s eyes lit up, but she remained composed.
“Why the sudden gift? That’s so embarrassing… Can I really choose whatever I want?”
Ling Xie answered by using his spiritual power to open the heavy door.
Nanshan cheered and rushed in, almost tripping as she entered.
After steadying herself, she picked up what had tripped her.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a top-tier artifact called the Sound of Silence. When in danger, blow this, and I’ll hear it even from a thousand miles away,” Ling Xie said with rare admiration on his face.
“You have a good eye.”
Before he finished speaking, Nanshan immediately dropped it back to the ground.
Inside the private collection, items were neatly arranged on shelves made of mysterious black iron. Nanshan quickly darted between the shelves, seeing either large, heavy broadswords or chipped pottery bowls—one so broken it was unworthy of even her, a poor person, using it.
After searching for a while and not finding anything she wanted, Nanshan stopped in front of a row of bottles and jars, randomly picking up one and opening it.
“This is Fugu Poison. It makes flesh and bone dissolve when it touches blood, but it only works on those at the Golden Core stage or below,” Ling Xie appeared beside her like a wandering soul.
Nanshan quickly put it back and wiped her hands, just as Ling Xie pointed to another jar and continued, “This is Dreambinding. If someone wants to kill you, quietly apply this to their wound, no matter their cultivation level. At worst, they’ll fall into eternal dreams from which they’ll never awaken. It’s a rare item, and I only have one jar. If you want it, I can give it to you.”
“… Why would I need this?”
Nanshan pushed his hand away in disbelief.
Ling Xie asked, “Then what do you want?”
Nanshan glanced around, trying to be as polite as possible, “These are too valuable; I can’t take them. If you really want to give me something, how about some regular gold, silver, or jewels?”
Actually, she really wanted to ask for the Demon-Subduing Staff back, but she knew he wouldn’t give it back easily, so she decided not to press the issue.
“I don’t have such common items,” Ling Xie replied straightforwardly.
Nanshan: “Then I’ll give you the Dreambinding potion.”
Ling Xie saw through her intention to leave the best items for him, so he decisively gave her the potion, then picked up another jar.
“This is the antidote to Dreambinding. If you accidentally get some on yourself, take it quickly.”
Nanshan: “No need, really…”
“And this knife, I’ll give it to you.”
“It’s too heavy for me…”
“This is Everlasting Black Iron. Take it, and if you ever want to make an artifact, I can forge it for you.”
“Really, no need…”
Her refusals were useless, and Nanshan ended up with a bunch of ‘scrap metal.’
Ling Xie seemed very satisfied with the gifts he gave, taking a small pouch embroidered with golden edges and placing all the items inside.
Nanshan watched as the heavy iron sword was sucked into the pouch, her eyes going wide with disbelief.
“How… how is this possible?”
she asked in shock.
Ling Xie handed her the pouch.
“It’s just an ordinary Qiankun bag.”
“Is this for me?”
Nanshan’s eyes sparkled.
Ling Xie: “Yes.”
Nanshan cheered as she took the pouch.
She opened it a little and peered inside, indeed seeing all the ‘scrap metal.’
Though the pouch was full, it felt weightless in her hands, as though the weight had disappeared.
She didn’t expect to receive such good things. In the future, once her parents finish harvesting grain, they could use this pouch to carry everything without worrying about mice stealing it.
“Thank you, Ling Xie,” Nanshan smiled brightly.
Ling Xie’s lips curved slightly.
“No need to thank me.”
It was clear she still wanted those gifts, but because she didn’t want to burden him, she kept pretending she didn’t want them.
Now, seeing his determination, she finally allowed herself to show a hint of joy.
“By the way, here’s this for you,” Nanshan said, taking off the Shen Yue Pearl from her wrist and offering it to him.
Ling Xie’s smile instantly disappeared.
“Why?”
“It’s your mother’s relic, isn’t it?”
Nanshan said a little awkwardly.
“I didn’t know before, and I kept using it to threaten you. I’m sorry.”
Ling Xie paused, his gaze falling on the Shen Yue Pearl in her palm.
The pearl, which had been hanging on her wrist, was now much brighter than when it was on the shelf, shining with a lively glow under the sunlight of the Nightless Pavilion.
“If Father gave it to you, then it’s yours.”
Ling Xie lowered his head and placed the pearl back onto her wrist.
Before Nanshan could react, the pearl was back on her wrist.
As she looked at Ling Xie’s lowered lashes, she was about to speak when a voice came from the door, “…Am I interrupting?”
They both turned to look, seeing Zhi Can leaning against the curved door frame, lazily eyeing them with a mischievous grin.
Nanshan rolled her eyes at him and, just as she was about to leave, said, “If there’s nothing else, I’ll leave.”
Before Ling Xie had a chance to respond, she walked straight out.
As she passed by Zhi Can, he blocked her way.
“I say,” Zhi Can looked her up and down with disdain, “Didn’t the Lord of the Underworld prepare any clean clothes for you? Why do you keep wearing these ragged clothes?”
Since Zhi Can had soaked in the Mu Yi Lake for three days and nights, his wounds had been left raw and exposed.
After that, the two had finally made peace and were now able to exchange a few words.
“Your clothes are the ones that are ragged!”
Nanshan scoffed, looking at him with her chin raised, “These were made by my mother!”
“So the Lord of the Underworld really didn’t prepare clothes for you?” Zhi Can asked, with a tone of genuine curiosity.
Ling Xie also looked over.
Of course, they had prepared clothes, but everyone in Canglan Palace assumed her cultivation was very high, so they had only prepared spiritual robes that could only be worn with spiritual energy.
She couldn’t tell her immortal uncle that she had no spiritual energy, so she had to pretend she didn’t like those fancy clothes.
Every day, she had to rely on the cleaning beads already in the room to clean her clothes.
But she couldn’t tell Zhi Can this, or it would only invite ridicule.
Nanshan thought for a moment and stubbornly continued, “They prepared them, but I just don’t want to wear them. I like the ones my mother made. My mother’s clothes are the best and most suitable for me!”
“Talking nonsense, who would prefer patched-up short clothes over fine silk and robes?”
Zhi Can ruthlessly exposed her.
Nanshan rolled her eyes again, about to argue back, when she heard Ling Xie’s cold voice from behind, “It was my oversight.”
“What does that have to do with you?”
Zhi Can’s attention shifted, and Nanshan quickly slipped away.
Maybe because she had visited the Nightless Pavilion recently, Ling Xie had realized how troublesome it was to entertain guests and reflected on how he might also be a bothersome guest.
For the next two or three days, he didn’t come to Nanshan’s place for dinner.
Nanshan enjoyed the peace, eating and drinking on her own, occasionally taking walks.
Though she missed her home a little, the days were incredibly relaxed and enjoyable.
Unfortunately, this tranquility disappeared in an instant when she saw Ling Xie in her courtyard a few days later.
“I’ve already had dinner!” Nanshan spoke first.
Ling Xie said, “You haven’t.”
Ling Xie suddenly furrowed his brows, “You don’t want to have dinner with me?”
“Well… it’s not that,” Nanshan quickly tried to find an excuse, “I’ve gained some weight recently, so I don’t want to eat dinner.”
Ling Xie, however, was too sharp to be fooled, “Why?”
The atmosphere became stiff in the silence, and so did Ling Xie’s expression.
He was no fool, and even more insightful than most people.
If he hadn’t noticed earlier, now that he had, it was clear that the dinners from the past few days had a different meaning.
Nanshan bit her dry lips, still trying to come up with a reasonable explanation when Ling Xie suddenly took a step toward her.
Her back instantly tensed, and she instinctively wanted to retreat, but as their eyes met, she forced herself to stand still.
Ling Xie, however, had no intention of pressuring her.
He simply handed her a small pouch.
It looked the same as the Qiankun bag from last time, with soft, floral edges.
“There are a hundred pieces of clothing inside. I specifically had someone from the mortal realm tailor them for you. You don’t need spiritual energy to wear them,” Ling Xie said, and then he left directly.
Nanshan stood frozen in place for a long while.
When she looked down at the pouch, a sense of guilt suddenly welled up in her.
When she thought about it carefully, although Ling Xie had some strange habits, he had never done anything inappropriate, and he ate so elegantly and quietly, like a painting.
She could eat half a bowl more just by watching him eat.
Not to mention, he had bought her a hundred pieces of clothing.
A hundred pieces! She had never seen so many clothes in her life.
She could never wear them all, even if she lived to be old…
As Nanshan slowly opened the Qiankun bag, her mind wasn’t focused, and she accidentally flipped the pouch upside down.
A hundred pieces of clothing immediately appeared and buried her.
“…”
Nanshan struggled to crawl out of the mountain of clothes.
After catching her breath, she froze.
She had never seen so many… ragged clothes.
They were all made from un-dyed, coarse yellow cloth.
Each one had large patches.
The closest one was a pair of pants, which had new fabric, but a deliberately mismatched patch had been sewn onto it.
The fabric had a pattern that looked like a gaping mouth, silently mocking her.
Nanshan remained silent for a moment, expressionless, as she stuffed the ragged clothes back into the Qiankun bag.